Picking the right cargo luggage carrier.

Vacation has arrived and your family is ready to hit the road.  Or, maybe vacation is still several months away and you realize the mountain of gear that needs to go with you has to be packed somewhere.  Looking at your family wagon you're probably thinking, 'putting all that gear in the car is like putting 10 pounds of sand into a 5 pound bag'.  Where is it all going to go?  At LakelandGear, we've been helping travelers pack since 1997 and we know a bit about cars.  Let us help by making the following suggestions.

1. Look at your car, aside from the obvious trunk or interior cargo area, what features do you have built in to assist packing?  Do you have a factory luggage rack on the roof.  This is a big asset to help you haul cargo.  If you don't have a luggage rack you may consider adding one, by visiting your local car dealer, or you can aftermarket sport bars which you can find in most high end sporting goods stores. Many vehicles today have receivers in back.  These square "holes" if you will are usually 2" or 1.25" in size so you can install a hitch to pull a trailer, bike rack, cargo box or other accessory.  We'll discuss cargo boxes below.

2.  Packing gear on the roof considerations:  Understand you and your crew are going to have to lift, duffel bags, tents, bicycles, what ever up to the roof level or higher.  Usually this isn't a problem for most people, but an important consideration.  You can usually sand in the door, tailgate, bumper or even on the tire and have people hand stuff up to you.  There are light weight wheel steps that a quick and convenient.

3. Next consider aerodynamics.  Car top carriers come in all shapes and sizes.  There are both car top boxes and car top bags that are designed specifically to slice the wind.  Many car top bags are box shaped. while not as aerodynamic, you generally won't feel the difference while driving and you will only see a minor difference at the pump.  If you have gear that must go to make your vacation fun, by all means pack it, the minor difference in fuel costs shouldn't ruin your fun.

4.  Carriers for the roof, Pack-Right car top bags or hard shell boxes?  Which way to go?  Here are some considerations, and we'll put the advantage in parenthesis; Easy to install and take off (bag). Many people install a roof box and leave it on.  Consider parking garages, and your garage height. Easy to load gear (box). Security of cargo (even).  Boxes and bags both lock.  Car top carrier bags are easy to take off at night and lock in the car or motel room. Car top bags should be packed full so the material doesn't flap in the wind, while boxes should be packed full so gear doesn't rattle around inside. Aerodynamics (box) although there are a few Pack-Right car top bags, that have an aerodynamic shape. See Sport 1 and Sport 3.   Cost (car top bags) rooftop bags are much less expensive.  Storage when not in use ( car top bag) fold up and pack away in a small space.  Even keep one in the trunk.  Packing odd size or large objects (bag) they are flexible so you can pack taller things and wider so generally bigger objects can fit inside. Packing skis (box) most boxes are long and designed for skis which can't fit inside bags.

5.  If you have a 2" Class III receiver on your vehicle you have a lot of options. If you have a 1.25" receiver, you still have options but only for a smaller bike rack or lighter loads, because they are on smaller cars.  If you don't have a receiver you can usually find a trailer or hitch place to install one in the yellow pages.  Hitch mount cargo boxes and platforms are growing in popularity.  LakelandGear.com features cargo boxes that swing away from the vehicle, so you move the load away from the back of the car for easy access.  They are easy to install and easy to load since they are closer to the ground that roof boxes. Security, you'll want a locking hitch pin to lock the carrier to your car.  LakelandGear hitch mount cargo boxes are secure with a strong lock in the lid.  Generally these boxes aren't so big that they cover your tail or brake lights.  Most come with a hitch tightener.  This helps secure the load in the receiver and keeps it from rattling around.

6.  In addition there are cargo platforms that fit into receivers.  Basically these are steel platforms, some of the better ones also have the swing out feature. LakelandGear offers a hitch mount  platform that swings out from the car.  This is handy if you leave the platform installed on your car.  Its much easier to park and maneuver with the carrier folded up against the car.  You can pack large objects that wouldn't fit into a box.  There are large cargo bags you can load gear into and strap onto the platform.  You would consider a locking hitch pin and some type of cable lock to lock the gear to the platform for security.  Another feature to look for is the platform coating.  Paint will eventually scratch and rust will start to form.  Better units are powder coated with is a special application of thick coating that is much more durable than paint.

7.  BRAND NEW: Pack-Right Cargo Saddlebag  aka  car back carrier.   This innovative cargo device is a large bag that suspends from your luggage rack on the back of your car.  Just like a horse or motorcycle saddlebag.  Easy to load and no aerodynamic drag.  High level of water protection and totally water tight with the optional liner.  The bag rides under the rear window so your view is not blocked.  OR if you like the dual functionality of a car top carrier AND a car back carrier, order the Car Back Carrier Alternative.  Our deluxe car top carrier with car clips so you can suspend it behind the car as well.  This also works well for those that want the Cargo Saddlebag but do not have a luggage rack.

Basically it all boils down to is, where do you want to load gear?  On top or behind your car?  If you have any questions, you can email, David Schaefer the owner of LakelandGear.com, he's been packing for vacations since 1963.  Use the contact us button.